Adjacent Words

Christmas definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CHRISTMAS, n.
1. The festival of the Christian church observed annually on the 25th day of December, in memory of the birth of Chris, and celebrated by a particular church service. The festival includes twelve days
2. Christmas-day.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6 [syn: Christmas, Christmastide, Christmastime, Yule, Yuletide, Noel]
2: a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ; a quarter day in England, Wales, and Ireland [syn: Christmas, Christmas Day, Xmas, Dec 25]

Merriam Webster's

noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English Christemasse, from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass Date: before 12th century 1. a Christian feast on December 25 or among some Eastern Orthodox Christians on January 7 that commemorates the birth of Christ and is usually observed as a legal holiday 2. Christmastide • Christmassy or Christmasy adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & int. --n. (pl. Christmases) 1 (also Christmas Day) the annual festival of Christ's birth, celebrated on 25 Dec. 2 the season in which this occurs; the time immediately before and after 25 Dec. --int. sl. expressing surprise, dismay, etc. Phrases and idioms: Christmas-box a present or gratuity given at Christmas esp. to tradesmen and employees. Christmas cake Brit. a rich fruit cake usu. covered with marzipan and icing and eaten at Christmas. Christmas card a card sent with greetings at Christmas. Christmas Eve the day or the evening before Christmas Day. Christmas pudding Brit. a rich boiled pudding eaten at Christmas, made with flour, suet, dried fruit, etc. Christmas rose a white-flowered winter-blooming evergreen, Helleborus niger. Christmas tree an evergreen (usu. spruce) or artificial tree set up with decorations at Christmas. Derivatives: Christmassy adj. Etymology: OE Cristes mæsse (MASS(2))

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Christmas Christ"mas, n. [Christ + mass.] An annual church festival (December 25) and in some States a legal holiday, in memory of the birth of Christ, often celebrated by a particular church service, and also by special gifts, greetings, and hospitality. Christmas box. (a) A box in which presents are deposited at Christmas. (b) A present or small gratuity given to young people and servants at Christmas; a Christmas gift. Christmas carol, a carol sung at, or suitable for, Christmas. Christmas day. Same as Christmas. Christmas eve, the evening before Christmas. Christmas fern (Bot.), an evergreen North American fern (Aspidium acrostichoides), which is much used for decoration in winter. Christmas flower, Christmas rose, the black hellebore, a poisonous plant of the buttercup family, which in Southern Europe often produces beautiful roselike flowers midwinter. Christmas tree, a small evergreen tree, set up indoors, to be decorated with bonbons, presents, etc., and illuminated on Christmas eve.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(Christmases) 1. Christmas is a Christian festival when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. The day after Christmas is generally a busy one for retailers... Merry Christmas, Mom. N-VAR: oft N n 2. Christmas is the period of several days around and including Christmas Day. He'll be in the hospital over Christmas, so we'll be spending our Christmas Day there. N-VAR: oft N n

Foolish Dictionary

A widely observed holiday on which the past nor the future is of so much interest as the present.

Moby Thesaurus

Advent, Allhallowmas, Allhallows, Allhallowtide, Annunciation, Annunciation Day, Ascension Day, Ash Wednesday, Candlemas, Candlemas Day, Carnival, Corpus Christi, Easter, Easter Monday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Eastertide, Ember days, Epiphany, Good Friday, Halloween, Hallowmas, Holy Thursday, Holy Week, Lady Day, Lammas, Lammas Day, Lammastide, Lent, Lententide, Mardi Gras, Martinmas, Maundy Thursday, Michaelmas, Michaelmas Day, Michaelmastide, Nativity, Palm Sunday, Pancake Day, Passion Week, Pentecost, Quadragesima, Quadragesima Sunday, Septuagesima, Shrove Tuesday, Trinity Sunday, Twelfth-day, Twelfth-tide, Whit-Tuesday, White Sunday, Whitmonday, Whitsun, Whitsunday, Whitsuntide, Whitweek, noel, yule, yuletide